My 11-year-old and 13-year-old granddaughters both recommended this book, and since I expect them to read the books I suggest to them, I always read the books they recommend to me. The cover is outstandingly full of promise for a creepy read, featuring an old-fashioned black and white photo of a little girl apparently levitating. Unfortunately, the book never does deliver.
The expected thrills and chills never really materialize. Sure there's a kind of monster who makes two brief appearances, and we have a chase through a bog, but it's never very exciting or suspenseful. In addition, I felt that the author never really pinpoints one target audience. The central character is a teenager, and a teen romance is included, but otherwise the book reads as if it is written for the tween set, more in line with the Goosebumps series.
This is a book with a gimmick -- the text is interspersed with vintage photos picturing the supposed characters. The photos are truly fascinating, but it often seems that characters are inserted into the plot just because the author happened to find a quirky photo.
Still, my granddaughters liked it so perhaps I am too harsh in my judgments or reviewing the book from too adult a viewpoint. The concept of including the photos is interesting, and, as I said, the cover is dynamite.
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